Post Mega Aug 11/12 El Norte

[FSP]

Lets hear them stories from the front lines

Outside MC today had one of the biggest wave sets I will have seen in many years. Some freak sets around 10:30 am about a quarter mile out that seemed forever to reach the outside was pushing 15 or more feet that the backs would fully block out my 10 story condo building at times. The sound that far out was just surreal but captured your curiosity to go feel it. Only one guy went down 100 yards out and got rushed in pretty quickly that really surprised me. The angle was not perfect but the size was so big you didnt even need a whip or another turn from your kite to just carve all over it. White water could spray you right off your rail if to catch. Barrels were man sized and nothing you would even think to go over or pull up into unless a ben wilson of sorts. Beach took on a whole new look and made all other days seems tame on the outside. Great weekend with casino on fire and then getting some really big stuff to cap it off.

thank you god!

[mrgrey]

Guess you can say ignorance was bliss...

6:00am - Alarm Clock goes off...couldnt really sleep anyway too excited about the day.
6:30am - In the car with my coffee and Howard Stern on the head phones hoping to find the wind.
6:45am- Phone call from Scotty G! "Hey man its going off here in MC". ..."Already on my way be there in 30"
7:30am - On the beach whippin 25 on the meter WNW at a 45 to shore.. rig up a 10m and try it.
7:45am - SHIT was BIG! Needed more power to get out of the madness
8:00am - 14m Rally pumped and it feels like its pickin up..
8:03am - OMG! tons of awesome power and able to lift over the monsters to get out about 1/4 mile equal with the light house

In my ignorance and being the only one out there I was looking up at waves twice my height and found myself carving the face of em as they would break.... and then I would run to mommy as I was chased in by a roaring freight train with white water on my heels. Got completely rolled by a 10 footer and dropped the kite, scary stuff, but the Rally relaunched with ease and held its shape like they said it would. Had to chase the board almost all the way in but happy to still see it. Spent the next hour and a half wondering where everyone was!? Felt like I was stealing the wind for myself. Got more comfortable as I dialed in when to take em on, or run away and found myself reading the break and making wiser decisions as I kept going out and coming back in. I had no idea the lake could get that big and only after I talked to Jpavy and Scotty after riding did I find out that even they were blown away by the size. Felt like I made it to another level in my short riding career.

10:00am - Wind let up some but turned more onshore and found it much tougher to ride and get out and stay upwind but the experts hit it hard and watched as Scotty disappeared out in the distance.. I kept playing on the inside as the beach started to fill up..

11:00am - Beach starts to fill, I am wiped out and need a break, wind shifts onshore, and I help throw up some kites and watch everyone workin hard to ride... felt like I stole somethin special in the early am and was happy with my day.

11:00am - 4:30pm.... Digested what happened that morning and what I could learn from the day and had fun on the beach with some new friends....right now all I can come up with..... damn life is good.

Thanks once again Scotty for the heads up! BTW... If you dont know this guy you are missing out...

[Bob]

Great stuff on Friday. Living in madison, it was a tough choice on where to go for some of us, but I wanted to go to Sheboygan no matter what even though it was probably going to be mostly north with very little east in it. Warm waters and north winds are hard to come by let alone riding strapless on a 6m. It doesn't get much better.

Truck was pre-packed the night before and the cooler stocked.

mrgrey...I like the timeline.

5:00: wake up like I was shot out of a cannon to check the forecast. Looks strong and mostly N. Shower, cook up some eggs and toast.
5:30: leave to meet up with Victor. Karl, Ben, Jeff coming later. Jens and Greg meeting us there also. madison crew, fondy/appleton crew and GB crew all there.
6:00: On the road.
8:00: Huh, it doesn't look so good. Lighter winds and it's NNW, not NNE as predicted.
8:30: Victor and I walk to the end of the pier and it's quite strong out there. 8m is my guess and the winds seem to be changing direction for the better. Clouds are clearing.
9:00: Going to rig and see Jens already pumped and ready. He's first out and makes it upwind to the jettie with no problems.
9:15 - 10:30: 1st session. I'm second one out and the 8m is perfect until the end. It's getting stronger and the swell and waves are really ramping up. 3-5 footers to start, ramping up to some incredible 4-8 with a few higher. Awesome session, but it's been a while since I've been in waves, so my timing was off a bit and got munched a few times.
11:00 - 12:30. 2nd session. F'ing incredible. Rigged down to my 6m Rally. It was really gusty on the inside, so getting out can be challenging. I got a great puff, but the waves were big coming in, so had to run the gauntlet 3 times just to get out past the first 400 yards before I could head upwind. Riders riding strapless know this well. You see a vertical face right in front and you have to run down the line and come out the backside. Sometimes you can jump it or make it over, but if it's vertical, it's usually munch time. The waves though this session were incredible. I had one smooth section where I caught about 13 turns all on one wave. It just kept going and going.
1:00 - 2:30: 3rd session. About the same as the second session. Tired when done, but want one more session.
3:00 - 3:30. 4th session. Well not really. Wind was more like 12m on the inside and my 6m wasn't cutting it, so did the walk of shame to get back.

Saturday: Rest day.
Sunday: Rest day.

Permanent smile on my face and to top it off, riding with cool friends makes it one for the ages.

Life's good.